In 1998, a Moldovan Pastor, Illie Coada, was burdened with the desire to assist his fellow villagers in Tantareni in overcoming poverty. Coada began his project by looking for an effective and sustainable solution to poverty in his community. His burden led to the development of a program, originally called Filadelfia, that trained and equipped Christians with basic business skills. Filadelfia was successful in helping over 1000 families start business and truly transformed the entire village.

In partnership with an international non-profit organization, local leaders embraced a national vision to see communities all across Moldova transformed in a similar way. The Christian Agency For Micro Enterprise Development was founded to carry out this vision. In 1999, Ghenadie Russu became the Executive Director of this program, and over the next four years the program grew tremendously, achieving operational sustainability in 2003. The following year the program moved its headquarters from Tintareni to the capital city of Chisinau in order to expand operations and reach a larger community. In 2005 the organization consolidated its lending activities under a national microfinance organization called Invest-Credit. CAMED centers around three main initiatives micro
and small loans, business training, andspiritual
transformation.

Invest-Credit, CAMED's lending arm, offers various financing options, as well as business training for entrepreneurs looking to either start a new business or expand their current business. While many our clients would not qualify for loans from commercial banks, they have the motivation and vision to succeed as entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs in Moldova choose Invest-Credit because of its emphasis on relationships and customer service and its long-standing presence in some of the most remote parts of Moldova. CAMED offers more than just the capital needed to start or grow a business; it offers the opportunity to participate in professional trainings including agriculture skills, leadership development, and small business development and access to a network of local entrepreneurs with experience and advice to share.

Invest-Credit is spreading its impact over Moldova through a network of branches and lending agents. The first branch office was opened in 2007 in Cahul, a city in the south of Moldova. An additional branch was opened in 2009 in Balti, located in the north of Moldova. In 2010, Invest-Credit added a temporary office in the agricultural community of Dubisarii Vechi and began to utilized a mobile office as well. Through its strategically placed offices, Invest-Credit has been able to reach clients in over 40 communities of Moldova. CAMED has continued to grow and expand along with Invest-Credit and now has partnerships with over 100 local churches.